A password manager is a software product that helps a user securely store and access user names, passwords, and PIN codes. As typically implemented, a password manager uses a local encrypted database to hold username/password pairs as well as the URLs and applications to which the username/password pairs pertain. Some password managers also work as “form fillers,” automatically populating fields in authorization forms; other password managers contain password generation facilities.
Various password managers are available in the market. At least one such password manager was originally developed as part of a larger massaging software application, which used the password manager to manage all of the user's login credentials. Other password managers are integrated with specific applications, such as browsers, or provide system-wide password management services.
Some online services are also comparable. For example, at least one online service was originally designed as a single sign-on (SSO) service providing authentication to a variety of online sites. These services generally focus on providing a single credential that provides authentication for many sites, rather than managing multiple credentials and associating each credential with one or more sites. Some of the currently available services were also originally designed to provide member sites with other information (such as a person's name) and provide a single central payment processing platform; however, such efforts were cancelled due to data security and privacy concerns.